Generally, when liquid fuel is produced from synthesis gas by a Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction, technologies of producing liquid fuel by filling a fixed-bed reactor or a slurry reactor with a powdered catalyst and spherical or pelleted cobalt catalyst particles is used.
As prior arts of the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction using a cobalt catalyst, U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,680 discloses a technology of manufacturing a cobalt catalyst supported with gamma-alumina or eta-alumina and activated with a group IIIB or IVB metal oxide, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,702 discloses a technology of manufacturing a cobalt catalyst having high dispersibility and a small particle size using an impregnation solution including an organic solvent. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 6,130,184 discloses an example of developing a high-activity cobalt catalyst by transforming a catalyst precursor and a carrier precursor, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,537,945 and 6,740,621 disclose technologies related to the development of a catalyst having improved thermal stability and wear resistance, respectively.
Meanwhile, as prior arts related to the development of a reactor for the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction, in the case of a slurry reactor, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,422,375 and 5,599,849 disclose technologies related to the development of an inner filter for separating a catalyst, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,157,054 and 5,348,982 disclose technologies related to the mixing of a catalyst and reactants. Further, in the case of a fixed-bed reactor, U.S. Pat. No. 6,211,255 discloses a technology related to a fixed-bed reactor filled with a monolith catalyst for improving the mass transfer characteristics and heat transfer characteristics of reactants and products in the reactor, and Korean Patent Nos. 2008-0060739 and 2009-0037089 disclose technologies related to a fixed-bed reactor filled with a metal structure catalyst for improving the mass transfer characteristics and heat transfer characteristics of reactants and products in the reactor. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 7,984,180 discloses a technology for effectively controlling reaction heat in a microchannel reactor using a cobalt catalyst.
However, as described in the above prior arts, when conventional powdered or particulate cobalt catalysts are used, there are problems in that it is very difficult to control reaction temperature because of the extremely high exothermic reaction that occurs during the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis process, and in that it is difficult to selectively obtain various products including gaseous products, such as CH4, CO2 and the like, and liquid products, such as gasoline, diesel, wax and the like, because the temperature of the reaction cannot be easily controlled.
Therefore, it is required to develop a catalyst which can be used to control the reaction heat and selectively produce liquid fuel and can be used to replace conventional catalysts.
Further, in the slurry reactor, it is required to develop a high-efficiency filter for separating liquid products and fine catalyst particles, and, even in the fixed-bed reactor whose mass transfer characteristics and heat transfer characteristics are somewhat improved thanks to the development of a metal structure catalyst. It is also required to develop a high-efficiency fixed-bed reactor for efficiently recovering reaction heat because the reactor will be scaled up in the future.